Experiencing lumps in lips after injectable filler is extremely common—and lumps most often resolve naturally with time. Gentle lip massage 5-7 days after the treatment can help smooth any lumps and bumps in the lips.
Not to worry though, lumps following a filler treatment are completely normal. The lumps you may experience are often caused by swelling and bruising of the treated area. We would not recommend massaging or using force to reduce the lumps yourself, as this may impact your final results.
The most common cause of lumps after a filler treatment is swelling and bruising from the injections themselves. These should naturally subside within the first week.
Smoothing Out the Lumps
The good news is yes, those pesky filler lumps will in fact go away. It's actually quite uncommon for patients to experience any irritation or lumps following their procedure, but if you do, then you should expect them to dissipate after a few days.
While massage can sometimes improve mild symptoms such as moderate lumpiness or slight asymmetry, don't perform massage on your fillers unless instructed to do so by your plastic surgeon or injector.
Lumpiness is very common to feel in your skin in the days after injection of dermal filler into the face, including the upper lip body and the cheeks and the chin area and along wrinkles and folds when injected to lift these. It will usually resolve within a couple of weeks.
Gentle massage
Gently press your lips between your thumbs and forefingers and roll your lips between your fingers. Massage your lips 2-3 days after having a lip injection.
Check with your provider to ensure that the lump is not an uncommon complication, like an infection or a vascular block; if you're in the clear, there is no need to worry, and the lump will usually resolve itself within one to two weeks. You can minimize the swelling by icing or applying a cold compress.
If you are able to see the lumps, try massaging them out (if recommended by your doctor) and keep an eye on them. If they still do not disappear, it may warrant a call to your medical provider. In some cases an enzyme called Hyaluronidase may be injected to dissolve the filler.
In some cases, we recommend our patients massage their fillers following treatment to smooth them out below the skin; however, too much massage too soon may cause the filler to migrate slightly.
"Lip filler migration is generally a result of the fact that hyaluronic acid fillers absorb water, and they can begin to create some extra volume and extra absorption of volume in areas that were outside of the primary injection site," says Dr. Karam.
Whilst it is somewhat normal to feel small lumps, depending on how thick the filler used was), if they feel one lump in particular, they can gently massage it in between their finger and their thumb, over a period of time, and it will help to “break down” the lump.
That said, these injectable treatments take some time to integrate into your tissues, and it's normal for your dermal filler to take up to two weeks to fully settle into your face.
Apply ice to your lips afterward using an ice pack or an ice cube covered in a thin cloth (so it doesn't stick to the lip and cause pain). This will help ease swelling, itching, bruising, and any other pain. Avoid strenuous exercise for 24 to 48 hours after you get lip or any other dermal fillers.
You are not allowed to smile for a few days after a lip filler. Facial expressions such as smiling, laughing, or frowning should have zero impact on your lip filler. It is actually better for you to smile and gently massage your lips, to help spread the product and produce a more natural end-result.
“It's customary to provide an 18 to 20 percent gratuity for any spa service, no matter if it's sugaring or a Biologique Recherche facial,” Angela Rosen, owner of Penelope & The Beauty Bar in Seattle and Daphne in New York City, tells Allure.
After lip fillers, I like to have the patient gently massage their lips, a finger inside, a finger outside, and gently massage. I don't want them to tightly compress, because they're going to squash the filler, and early on they could push fillers into a different area of the lip.
Fillers come in pre-filled syringes, usually with 1 mL per syringe. To avoid duck lips, stick to one syringe per treatment. Honestly, some times we won't even use the whole syringe to avoid the risk of duck lips.
Do Your Lips Feel Hard After Lip Fillers? It is common for filled lips to feel stiff and firm during the first two weeks after the injection. Everything will go back to normal once the swelling has subsided, which is approximately the same amount of time you have to wait for the final results to appear.
Massaging freshly injected lips risks moving the filler around causing the possibility of desportation and undesirable results.
One syringe of filler you can expect slightly plumper lips with a smoother appearance. We use fillers like Restylane and Juvederm to create natural looking and feeling lips enhancement. Two syringes of dermal filler will get clients noticeably smoother and plumper and for some clients a true volume change.
You should NEVER leave a tip for your PA/NP or nurse injector. Injectables are medications, just like a blood pressure pill or a thyroid medication. You would not tip your primary care provider for doing an EKG on you so no need to tip on our medical services either.
Avoid overfilling
Even though dermal injections usually come in 1mL syringes, you should avoid using the entire syringe in one appointment.